


Cosmic Quantum Bullshit

by htbthomas



Category: Palm Springs (2020)
Genre: Coming to an Understanding, Gen, Grocery Store, How Did Sarah Get Roy's Phone Number Anyway?, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28976742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/htbthomas/pseuds/htbthomas
Summary: Roy swivels slowly on his toes and looks down at her. Same big eyes, same beachy tank top. "Loony bitch," he greets with a careful nod.
Relationships: Roy (Palm Springs) & Sarah Wilder
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	Cosmic Quantum Bullshit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alchemise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alchemise/gifts).



> Thanks to my beta!

Roy rocks back and forth on his heels as he studies the meat case at the grocery store. The upscale one down on Alton Parkway, since he doesn't have to follow a budget anymore. They had tuna a couple days ago, well, _loops_ ago, and chicken wings yester-loop. Maybe a good steak? Then again, tri-tip or brisket sounds good right now. Yeah, Libby will just cut hers into tiny pieces and Joey will focus on the corn on the cob anyway—that's what they did the last fifty loops where he cooked beef—but he's in the mood for that today, so...

"Hey."

The quiet voice behind him startles him. He's never had anyone talk to him while he's studying the meat case, not ever. Not even the guy behind the counter—Roy has always had to snap for the guy's attention, fighting whatever's blasting from the guy's headphones. So he knows what this has to mean. 

Roy swivels slowly on his toes and looks down at her. Same big eyes, same beachy tank top. "Loony bitch," he greets with a careful nod. Sure, Nyles said not to call her that, but he never complained at 'shit bird,' so who cares?

She gives him a wry grin, just one side of her mouth turning up. "Fucker."

He shrugs amiably at that moniker, though he feels anything but relaxed. He can still hear the sound his spine made when she slammed the police car into him. "Been following me?"

"And figuring out where you live," she says. "We've got nothing but time, right?"

"Right." The look in her eyes should be sad, resigned. Or fruitier than the last time he saw her, after all these extra loops. But there's something else there, something he hasn't identified yet. He's curious to know what it is, but not enough to risk another stint in the ER. "You... want something from me? Cause I gotta—"

"Just," she says, cutting him off, "to say I'm sorry. You know, for crushing your spine and all. I was"—her voice trails off as she scratches at her scalp, sending the ponytail more askew—"going through something. That doesn't make it right or anything, just. You know. Sorry."

He shakes his head, can't help but laugh. "Oh, you two are a pair, aren't you?"

"A pair—?" She frowns. "Nyles? No. What do you mean?"

"Shit bird visited me—at my _house_ , the idiot—just a couple days ago, didn't he tell you?" She doesn't respond, so he goes on, "Said he wanted to give up, made a big scene in front of my neighbors, the whole shebang."

He watches that sink in for a moment. "And?" she finally asks.

"And we had a little talk, then I sent him back to"—out of the corner of his eye, he sees the meat guy start to walk toward him, so he drops his voice—"to morning."

Not even a flicker of alarm. Chick's got balls. "I see." 

He tells the meat guy he wants the brisket, and fully expects to see her gone. But when he glances over his shoulder, she's behind him, studying the items on a shelf full of Little Debbies. "Zebra Cakes are always a winner at my house," he tells her.

"Is it Joey or Libby that likes them?" she asks without looking up, reaching for a box of Cosmic Brownies instead. "Or the teenager. What's his—?"

He cuts her off. "Cut the crap. Why are you really here?" If she's trying to scare him, two can play that game. He can easily take a break from his endless Saturday in the suburbs.

"Like I said, to apologize! But also..." She sets the Cosmic Brownies back on the shelf and takes a breath. "I think I'm close. Close to finding a way out."

Roy's eyebrows go up. Right. How loony _is_ this bitch?

She reads his expression. "No, really. I've been studying quantum physics for the last... I don't know, months? Years? Just one more test, and I'll be sure." She launches into a long, complicated description, with gestures in the air and her wide brown eyes going wider, and people start to give the two of them a wide berth in the grocery aisle.

Most of it goes totally over his head, but he's sure of one thing. She really believes all this cosmic quantum bullshit. When the words trickle to a stop and she looks up at him expectantly, he says, "So?"

She lets out a huff of amusement, and he gets that wry grin again. "So... do you want me to let you know if it works?"

It takes a while for him to respond, caught between disbelief, amusement, annoyance and... a spark of hope. Hope he hadn't dared let himself feel. Hope that one day he _will_ walk Libby down the aisle. But all he says is, "Sure."

"Okay," she says, relieved, "okay. I know your address, but any letter I sent would never get there, and I don't know if there'll be time to visit when the time comes." She pulls out her phone. "And I could never find you online."

He smiles in satisfaction. He's never been so glad he dropped all social media before the loops began. "Damn right." He holds his hand out for her phone to put in his number. "Better mem—"

"Memorize it, already done." She pockets the phone again and lifts her hand in a wave as she turns and starts walking away. "See you on the other side."

"I sincerely hope not," he calls after her, and she flips him the bird before turning a corner and passing out of sight.

He shakes his head. She may be loony, but he's gotta admit, he can see why Nyles likes her. He won't hold his breath for that phone call, though. He's long ago accepted that there's no way out.

Before he heads for the register, though, he sees she placed the box of Cosmic Brownies in his basket. He goes ahead and buys them.


End file.
